Internal security minister George Saitoti has asked Isiolo pastoralist communities to reconcile and begin initiatives to restore peace and justice in the county. The minister spoke during a community peace forum held in Isiolo town on 24 October following escalation of insecurity in the region which resulted in loss of lives in the recent weeks. The minister was accompanied by senior government officials and legislators from the county. All ethnic communities in the county, Somali, Borana and Turkana were given equal space to air their opinions and find solutions to recurrent insecurity. Among the causes of conflicts mentioned were negligence by government, scramble for resources, marginalization in leadership, livestock raids, presence of illegal arms and poor infrastructures.
George Saitoti reminded the communities that Isiolo has enough resources and opportunities for all diverse communities in the county and urged communities to promote peace and reconciliation in order to benefit from the resources and opportunities. “ I ask community elders to take responsibility pertaining to security to restore peace and unity among pastoralist’s communities,” said Saitoti. The minister also promised the government will deploy more security personnel and improve infrastructures to curb insecurity in Isiolo County.
